Series: Cassidy Blake #1
Release Date: 28th August 2018
Pages: 285
Publisher: Scholastic Books
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: I bought a copy of this from my local Waterstones.

Synopsis

Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn’t sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn’t belong in her world. Cassidy’s powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

Review

This is my first time reading a book by Victoria Schwab, but it certainly won’t be the last. Dark, sinister and a whole lot of fun, this is everything you could want in a paranormal middle grade book.

Middle grade normally isn’t the kind of book that I read but this sounded like such a fascinating read that I couldn’t resist. After racing through it in a single sitting I am now desperate for more of Cassidy and her best friend Jacob.

Everything about this book was well done. The characters were wonderful and well developed, the pacing quick but not to the point where there was no chance to get to know the world and the magical elements.

One of my most favourite things about this book was the creepy/ horror myth element to it. Our main villain is definitely that kind of scary creature you hear about as a child to ward you away from going somewhere you’re not supposed to. Schwab handles it in a really skilled way and I definitely felt unsettled at times. City of Ghosts is an absolutely perfect read for the autumn and is a wonderful Halloween ghost story.

The other thing that drew me to City of Ghosts is the setting. I live in Scotland and went to University in Edinburgh so it’s always amazing to see somewhere you know described in a book. I loved the dark and spooky way that Edinburgh was portrayed, and it definitely made me fall in love with the book and the city even more.

If you love dark and spooky tales this is definitely a book to pick up. It’s fun, engrossing and an excellent introduction to the writing of Victoria Schwab.